St. Paul daily globe., 1887-05-07
THE COUNCIL s RICH YIELD
The Eight-HOur Intention Receives What
is a Practical Death
Blow.
Pro Rata Saloon License Da'erred---
MayOr is Granted a Private
Secretary.
Irate Aldermen Pitch Into the Papers.
More Salaries for City
Officials.
lltiG LABOR QUESTION.
n Joint Committees Report Suf
fers u Parliamentary Dcfeat.

n Joint Committees Report Suf.
fers Parliamentary Defeat.
The following report of the commit
tees on salaries, ways and means and
sewers i'll the matter of labor, working
men, teams and wages to be paid on the
public works, was submitted:
That the city engineer be authorized to en-
ploy competent men ON the public works of
the city without regard as to whether they
are union or non-uuion men, and that the
wages paid foremen and mechanics on said
works for Il day S work of eight hours be one
eleventh less than the price paid per day, ten
hours work during the year 1856. That the
aldermen of the respective wards are hereby
authorized to pay such prices for teams to do
team work i'll said wards as they may deem
just. That the hours of work during each
day shall be from = O'Clock a. IN to II
o'clock H., and from l o'clock D. H. to )
O'Clock p. m.
y minority report was submitted by
Aid. McArdle and Kerr, which read:
While we agree with that portion of the
majority report having reference to the sal
aries 10 be paid and the hours of commcnc-
ing and quitting work, we cannot subscribe
TO that part OF the report which indirectly
authorizes the city engineer to discriminate
against organized labor to the detriment of
the public service and the retarding of work
on the sewers.
THE DEBATE.
Aid. Johnson wanted the report di-
Vided so that each section could be sep
arately discussed. Aid. Dwyer objected,
but the motion prevailed, and then Aid.
Johnson moved the adoption of the par
agraph that the city engineer be au-
thorlZed to employ competent men,
whether they were union men or not.
Aid. McArdle amended that none but
union men be employed. Aid. Dwyer
said that he would be satisfied
if there was no discrimination against
the union men. While he did not like
non-uniOn men and regarded them as
little better than ''ScabS," he realized
that they had the right to ask employ
ment from the city. Aid. Gleason said
he knew that there were many old tax
payers who had been employed on the
streets for years who were not union
men. Aid Kerr claimed that heretofore
incompetent men have been employed
Oh sewer work. Aid. McArdle'S amend
ment was lost, only himself and Aid.
Kerr voting for it. Aid. JohnsOn'S mo
ton then carried. The next paragraph,
providing that the wages should be cut
down one-eleVenth from what the men
received for ten hours, was amended by
Aid. johnson that the men receive the
same wages as last year. Aid. Gibson
said the city could not afford to give ten
hour wages for eight hours work. Aid.
Johnson said that the motion applied to
skilled labor only, which he did not
think could be obtained at a reduction
Aid. DWyer said that the pay of the
common laborerS had been cut down,
and that the skilled laborers or foremen
should submit to the same reduction.
Aid. JohnSOn'S intention was to make
the eight-hOur movement a failure by
raising wages.
Aid. Johnson-I don't want my motives
questioned in this council chamber, and wont
Aid Dwyer-I'll take it back, then. 1t will
amountto the same thing within five months
whether You intend it or not.
The amendment was lost, only Bar
rows, Clark, Cole, Cooley, Davis, Garvey,
E. NJ. Johnson, J. l.. Johnson, MuldoOn,
Stoneman and Vogt voting in the affirm
ative; The paragraph was then
adopted. Aid. Johnson then moved to
strike out the word ''teams" in the third
paragraph authorizing the wards to pay
such prices as they see fit. This was
carried by vote of Is to II, Mills, Phil
lips and Morse voting with the Repub-
licanS. The fourth paragraph fixing the
hours of labor from a. III. to 12 m., p.
m. to 5 p. m, was lost, there being no
debate save a sarcastic remark from
Aid. Mills that the fixing of the hours
for sleeping and eating had been over
looked. Aid. Dwyer then moved to lay
the entire report on the table, saying
that the fourth paragraph gave the
wards the power to work their men
either eight or ten, as they saw fit. This
was lost by vote of II to IS. The vote
was then taken on the report as
amended, resulting in 1S nays to II
yeas. Aid. Cloutier here moved an adj
jOurnment, but it was lost by vote of
II to II. Aid. Dwyer moved to recon-
slider the vote on the report. Aid. Mills
amended that the report be laid Oh the
to II. Aid. Dwyer's motion to recon-
slider was lost by % to 5. This leaves
the report of the committee just as if it
had never been considered.